Max Tennyson (Classic)
Magister Maxwell "Max" Tennyson or Grandpa Max as his grandchildren call him, is the paternal grandfather of Ben and Gwen. He is a fairly overweight man in his late 50's to early 60's, with a keen sense for adventure and a strange taste in food. Max ends up taking the kids on a summer vacations' road trip across the United States. Max travels in a motor home nicknamed the Rust Bucket, which he has modified with advanced technology. Max was a semi-retired legendary Magister rank Plumber and is the mentor of Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and the Plumbers' Helpers. Max is widely considered the greatest Plumber in the Milky Way.Azmuth As of Omniverse, Max quit retirement and joined the Plumbers again, and is currently Magister of Earth. Appearance Regular Appearances In the original series, Max wore a white shirt, covered by a red buttoned-up Hawaiian shirt with a floral design. He had grey hair and blue pants, as well as brown shoes. In Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, Max's appearance did not change except for his blue pants being changed to brown, he had more wrinkles, a slightly darker shirt, and whiter hair. He wore black shoes. In Omniverse, Max's appearance has not changed that much except for his brown pants, which are now white. He has whiter hair, more wrinkles, and his eyes have been changed to little black dashes. His white shirt that he wore under his red button up shirt has changed to black. Also, his shoes are now grey at the top and black at the bottom. Occasional Appearances In Monster Weather, he wore blue jeans, a brown headband, a brown vest and brown sandals along with his red Hawaiian shirt. As Ultra Grandpa in Perfect Day, he had a stereotypical superhero costume. He wore frameless blue goggles, a cyan shirt and white pants. He also donned a white cape like Ultra Ben. After being turned into a ten year old in Don't Drink the Water, Max was seen wearing Ben's regular clothes, a black-striped, white shirt with short sleeves, military green cargo pants and black and white sneakers with black stripes. His hair was also similar to a crew cut, and rather than fat, Max looked skinny and athletic. In Divided We Stand, in addition to his red Hawaiian shirt, he wore brown shorts and brown strap sandals. In Alien Force, he sometimes wore a short-sleeved white T-shirt with light brown pants and a green pouch with a sling that hangs on his shoulder. While under the identity of the Wrench, he wore a black T-shirt and light brown pants under a brown robe. In Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, he occasionally wore a Plumber suit. As seen in a flashback in Moonstruck, 17 year old Max had short brown hair a red shirt and light brown pants. In Alien Swarm, Max wore a blue Hawaiian shirt instead of a red one. In a flashback in Blukic and Driba Go to Area 51, as a young adult, Max had black hair and was scrawny. He wore the same Hawaiian shirt he wears in the present. In Something Zombozo This Way Comes, as a Zombie Clown, Max had white makeup, red lipstick, a red nose and different hair. Young max.png|10 year old Max in Don't Drink the Water Young_max.PNG|17 year old Max in an Ultimate Alien flashback Max OV Young.png|Max as a young adult in an Omniverse flashback Max AF Flashback.png|Max in his later days as a Plumber max os plumber.png|Max in his Plumber suit in the original series Max Santa.png|Max as Santa Claus in Merry Christmas Max Summo Slammer.png|Max in Sumo Slammers in Game Over Ultra max.png|Ultra Grandpa Max_White_T-shirt.png|Max in his alternate clothing in Alien Force and Ultimate Alien Max_Wrench.png|Max as the Wrench in Alien Force Max_HU.png|Max in Heroes United Max_UAF_Plumber_Suit.png|Max in his Plumber suit in Alien Force and Ultimate Alien Max_armor.png|Max in his Plumber armor in Omniverse Max_Zombie_Clown.png|Max as a Zombie Clown Max Tennyson in Robot Chicken.png|Max in Robot Chicken Personality An easy-going, kind, and normally jovial man, Max Tennyson often comes across as pleasantly absent-minded at times, but is actually quite perceptive. For instance, he knew early on in Ben's adventures who was most likely pursuing him, as he was aware of Vilgax's history having fought the alien tyrant many times before. Max is also a very brave man, having dedicated his life to preserve peace on Earth between humans and extraterrestrial life. His bravery has resulted in him being injured, having his DNA spliced, nearly killed in several dozen ways, and more. His prioritization of others' safety above his own even when bereft of a weapon shows his selfless nature at its finest. The consummate strategist, Max is very intelligent, being able to select the correct weapon to battle Z'Skayr based on minimal information given to him by Ben, choosing a light-based weapon to bring down the rogue Ectonurite. Though well-meaning, Max is not without a stern side, having struggled to guide Ben during the first few months of his grandson's possession of the Omnitrix. When pushed, Max can be strict, harsh, but not unreasonably so, not being afraid to call people out on their selfishness and mistakes when necessary. Max has a weird appetite, which comes from his travels both on the Earth and beyond. And Then There Were 10 History Max Tennyson (Classic)/Background|Background Max Tennyson (Classic)/History/Ben 10|Ben 10 Max Tennyson (Classic)/History/AF|Alien Force Max Tennyson (Classic)/History/UA|Ultimate Alien Max Tennyson (Classic)/History/OV|Omniverse Powers and Abilities Although Max doesn't have any super powers, he is very skilled in combat and can take on anyone who does have them as he is quite athletic for someone of his age. As a retired Plumber, he has access to a variety of various Plumber tools and weaponry, which he uses skillfully. Aside from that, his experience from his Plumber days made him knowledgeable on various species of aliens. He is also able to strategize well and is skilled in inventing new machines. He is telepathically connected to his lover, Verdona.Moonstruck Before joining the Plumbers, Max was a United States Air Force pilot, with dreams of joining NASA and going to the moon. He was an expert at flying an F-104 Starfighter and was able to shoot down an alien spacecraft. Weaknesses Despite being highly trained, Max is far from the prime athletic specimen he was during his days as a Plumber. He is a senior citizen, and has not managed to keep in shape, though he does still possess an incredible tactical mind to compensate for his less than stellar physical conditioning. Love Interests Verdona See Article: ''Relationship with Verdona'' Xylene During Xylene's early years, she met Max Tennyson, who at the time was a Plumber. She wanted Max to go to Ringa Morr with her, but Max declined it. Appearances Ben 10 *All episodes Movies *''Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix'' *''Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens'' Ben 10 Shorts *All shorts Ben 10: Alien Force Season 1 *''Ben 10 Returns: Part 1'' (hologram) *''Ben 10 Returns: Part 2'' (flashback) *''Kevin's Big Score'' (hologram) *''All That Glitters'' (hologram) *''Max Out'' (first reappearance) Season 2 *''Voided'' *''War of the Worlds: Part 2'' Season 3 *''Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 1'' *''Vengeance of Vilgax: Part 2'' *''Inferno'' (hologram) *''Fool's Gold'' *''If All Else Fails'' *''Above and Beyond'' *''Vendetta'' *''The Final Battle: Part 1'' *''The Final Battle: Part 2'' Movies *''Ben 10: Alien Swarm'' Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Season 1 *''Hit 'Em Where They Live'' (first reappearance) *''Ultimate Aggregor'' Season 2 *''Map of Infinity'' *''Absolute Power: Part 1'' *''Absolute Power: Part 2'' Season 3 *''Moonstruck'' (flashback and present) *''Prisoner Number 775 Is Missing'' *''The Ultimate Enemy: Part 2'' (flashback; cameo) Specials *''Ben 10-Generator Rex: Heroes United'' (cameo) Ben 10: Omniverse Season 1 *''The More Things Change: Part 1'' (first reappearance) *''The More Things Change: Part 2'' *''A Jolt from the Past'' (flashback and present) *''So Long, and Thanks for All the Smoothies'' *''Trouble Helix'' (flashback) *''Of Predators and Prey: Part 1'' *''Of Predators and Prey: Part 2'' (flashback and present) Season 2 *''Gone Fishin''' *''Outbreak'' *''Blukic and Driba Go to Mr. Smoothy's'' *''Malefactor'' (flashback) *''Arrested Development'' *''Showdown: Part 1'' (flashback) *''Showdown: Part 2'' (flashback and present) Season 3 *''Store 23'' *''Vilgax Must Croak'' *''Ben Again'' (flashback and present) *''Rad'' *''The Frogs of War: Part 1'' *''The Frogs of War: Part 2'' Season 4 *''Food Around the Corner'' *''Max's Monster'' *''Evil's Encore'' (flashback) *''Mud Is Thicker Than Water'' *''A Fistful of Brains'' *''For a Few Brains More'' Season 5 *''Something Zombozo This Way Comes'' (flashback and present) Season 6 *''Catfight'' (cameo) *''The Rooters of All Evil'' *''Blukic and Driba Go to Area 51'' (flashback and present) *''No Honor Among Bros'' *''Universe vs. Tennyson'' *''Weapon XI: Part 2'' (flashback and present) Season 7 *''Clyde Five'' *''Rook Tales'' *''The Ballad of Mr. Baumann'' (flashback and present) *''Breakpoint'' *''The Color of Monkey'' Season 8 *''From Hedorium to Eternity'' (flashback) *''Stuck on You'' *''The Final Countdown'' *''Malgax Attacks'' *''The Most Dangerous Game Show'' (cameo) Comics Cartoon Network Action Packs *''Ole!'' *''Fast Lane'' *''Snow Blind'' *''Fear Itself'' *''A Villain a Day'' *''Techno Zombies'' *''Barbershop Blues'' *''Blast from the Past'' *''Nemesis'' *''The Height of Heat'' *''Space Camp and Beyond'' *''Alien Data Files: Wildmutt'' *''Greasy Lightning'' *''Alien Data Files: Heatblast'' *''Alien Data Files: Four Arms'' *''Swimming with Sharks'' *''Monkey Business'' *''Alien Data Files: XLR8'' *''Eggs with Legs'' *''Intergalactic Spazz Club'' *''Aqua Nut'' *''Sonic Boom'' *''Pleasant Dreams'' *''Alien Data Files: Upgrade'' *''Captured!'' *''Wanted'' *''Special Defects'' *''Alien Data Files: Diamondhead'' *''Mountains of Trouble'' *''Alien Data Files: Ripjaws'' *''Dora Flora'' *''Alien Data Files: Stinkfly'' *''Old Friends'' *''Powerless'' Chapter Books *''Triple Threat'' *''Galaxy Wars'' Video Games Ben 10: Protector of Earth Max helps Ben in his travel around the country. He was captured by Kevin 11 and had to be rescued by Ben. He accesses to Plumber base in Mt. Rushmore and later defeats Zs'Skayr with a sun gun. Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks Max helps Ben and his gang to destroy the Null Void power source. He joins the gang after the level Mor' Otesi. He appears in holograms on Plumber Badges, in the beginning and ending of each level. He battles the Null Void monsters on Earth. Ben 10: Omniverse Max is a non-playable character. He gets captured by Dr. Animo and gets rescued by 11 year old Ben and Rook. Trivia *Max's design in the original series was created by Dave Johnson, while his Alien Force and Ultimate Alien one was created by Glenn Wong. *Max was supposed to get the Omnitrix, but when Ben found it, his DNA was close enough to Max's that it attached itself to his wrist instead.The Final Battle: Part 2 *Max's eyes in Omniverse are a reference to the DC comic book character Shazam. *Max was a Magister for at least 5 years.Malefactor *In the early stages of production of the original series, Max originally wasn't a Plumber, he was just an average inventor. I-10: The Ben 10 User Generated Experience *In Dimension 23, Max died before the Omnitrix reached Earth, leaving Ben 23 with no mentor or moral support until Azmuth 23 took up that position. *Max's cooking is a running gag throughout the franchise as most humans, (especially Ben, Gwen, and Kevin) find the cuisine to be disgusting, while aliens (Rook, Xylene, and others) can't get enough of it. *Characters wearing shirts identical to Max's appear throughout the series as a running gag. *Max loses his arm in the Limax War, which happens in the future. Ben 10,000 *Max was similar to Kevin when he was Kevin's ageVerdonaWhat Are Little Girls Made Of?; an example being in Moonstruck with young Max saying "Hey! Watch the paint job!" and "My ride!", both of which have been said by Kevin. *Max's favorite color is either pale green or magenta. *Max Tennyson made an appearance in the fifth episode of the sixth season of Robot Chicken, "Hurtled from a Helicopter into a Speeding Train". References Crew Statements Glenn Wong Derrick J. Wyatt Matt Wayne Pop-ups See Also *Rust Bucket *Rust Bucket 2 Category:Plumbers Category:Heroes Category:Tennyson Family Category:Humans Category:DNA Force Members Category:Parents Category:Human Males Category:Male Heroes Category:Main Characters Category:Allies Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Live-Action Movies Characters Category:Residents of Bellwood Category:Null Void Prisoners Category:Original Series Characters Category:Alien Force Characters Category:Ultimate Alien Characters Category:Omniverse Characters Category:Introduced in the Original Series